What do you need for a mini pupillage?

Jul 15, 2022

Written By Isabella Priestman-Bennett

Mini pupillages are one of the most important ways pupillage applicants can gain insight into the bar and increase their knowledge of the profession before landing an interview.

What do you need for a mini pupillage?

Minis can either be assessed – involving written tasks and forming part of the application process for pupillage – or unassessed. Generally, they tend to range in length from a single day to a full week.

Time will usually be spent shadowing one or a handful or practising barristers within chambers, Mini pupils should not expect to find themselves in court for the entirety of the mini pupillage and, in fact, this is a good thing. Though time spent in court can be fantastic experience, invaluable insights can be gained simply from observing barristers as they work on written advice, prepare for court, and interact with other members of chambers.

Given the nature of mini pupillages, there are a number of steps mini pupils can take beforehand to equip themselves. Ultimately, the key to success is to prepare for any and every eventuality.

What to bring

In both assessed and unassessed minis you might well be expected to undertake some research of your own to get a sense of what your supervisor is working on. In order to tackle these tasks, it can be useful to bring your own laptop, with internet connectivity. If this is not possible, contact chambers in advance to ask if they have laptops or computers that you can use should you need to.

In case you find yourself in a situation where you cannot access your laptop, it is worth always bringing with you a small notebook and pen. This can be useful for jotting down anything you think you might want to remember afterwards, and can act as a useful reminder to continually reflect on and make a note of what you are learning from the experience.

How to prepare

You will have researched the chambers when making your application for a mini pupillage, but before arriving on the first day it can be useful to recap your notes and refresh your knowledge of chambers and the work its members do.

You might be told beforehand who you will be shadowing. It can be worth checking on the chambers website to see if they have a copy of their CV available or any information about their practice more generally.

Based on this, it can be useful to think of a few questions – either about their route to the bar, their current practice or their experience of chambers – which you can ask your supervisor if you find yourself with them when they have a spare few minutes.

Try not to ask questions when they are working; bear in mind that most chambers will encourage members to take mini pupils with them on their lunch break and this can be a useful time to ask all your burning questions.

Mini Pupillage